Electrical socket



March 4, 1941.

M. ALDEN 2,233,931

ELECTRICAL SOCKET Filed Sept. 9, 1940 INVENTOR 1 1172 0 fl/den BY if Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE ELECTRICAL SOCKET Milton Alden, Brockton, Mass. Application September 9, 1940, Serial No. 355,947 6 Claims. (01. 113- 328) This invention relates to sockets of the type used to receive tube or lamp bases having a plurality of pins, such as those found in fluorescent lamps.

More particularlymy invention relates to a type of socket provided with a rotating support or carrier element, into which the lamp pins are seated and which element is then rotated so as to bring these pins into engagement with the contactsof the socket.

One object of my invention is to provide, in a socket of the character described, means which will tend to lock the rotating carrier-element at certain angular positions of rotation, corresponding in the one case to the correct angle for the insertion or withdrawal of the lamp pins, or corresponding in the other case to the angular position in which these pins make full contact with v the contact elements of the socket.

Yet another purpose of the invention is to provide a socket in which the entrance slot is more or less closed when no pins lie therewithin, so

. that when inserting the pins, the tendency of one pin to enter while the other pin engages the body of the socket will be lessened.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide a socket in which there will be a force tending to eject the pins from the socket when the tube is in the correct angular position for the pins to be withdrawn therefrom.

Another object'is to make it practically impossible to break the socket when trying to rotate the lamp tube in the socket.

Still another purpose is to provide means which will, in such a socket, afford indication of the completion of the turning of the rotor through a desired angular extent, as by change of resistance to movement encountered or by an audible click.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in a socket of this type, means for locking the rotor in the angular position in which the pins are in engagement with the contacts of the socket, independently of the frictional engagement of the pins themselves, and additionally thereto.

A ,still further purpose is to provide means whereby when no tube is inserted, the rotor will be held in a position so that it will be ready to receive the pins of a tube.

An additional purpose is to provide a socket of this type in which any attempt to rotate a partially inserted tube will cause the election of the pin of the tube which may have been inserted.

Reference is now made to the drawing where Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a socket according to one form of my invention, the rotating support being shown inthe ofi position and showing a tube with one pin inserted in the support.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the socket. Fig. 3 is a back elevation with the cover plate removed.

Fig. 4 is a rear vievvoifl partof the socket with the pins of a tube in place in the on position. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig.3.

' Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on the planeof line 66 of Fig. 3.

vided with recesses l5, which serve to retain and make contact with the pins l6 of an inserted tube, when the latter is fully seated in the socket.-

In the upper. edge of the socket body isjcprovided a slit l1, leading from'the exterior-j. oi the socket and allowing bothpins of a tube "topass therethrough into slot l9 of the rotor'i, The

edges l8 of this slit H are quite narrow s'o' as-to afford a minimum abutment area for the itube pins. This rotor may be formed as in Fig.7 with a bearing rim 2| for engaging the periphery of circular aperture 22 in the face of the body. t It may also have a bearing 23 at the rear, which seats within aperture 24 in the rear cover plate' 25, as shown in Fig; 6. Between the front and rear bearing surfaces, the rotor may be formed with anv angular section a s shown at 'ZS'inFig, 7,,

or may be substantially ylindricalfa'sshown at 21 in Fig. 8, in that part which stands between the contacts. The rotor may also have notches 28 midway between the ends of the slot l9.

To mount the end of a tube in the socket, it is merely necessary to insert the pins 16 sidewise through the slit or entrance I'I into slot I9 until the lower pin strikes against the lower wall of the opening 22 so that both pins will stand between the contacts l2, l2 and then to rotate the tube and support in either direction until the pins snap into the recesses l5, 15 of the contacts.

In case the rotor shown in Fig. The employed, the angular shaped portion 26 will co-operate with the springs so as to determine a tendency of the rotor to seat itself at two angular positions, about 90 degrees apart.

In the instant invention, I have additionally provided a plunger or pin 29 of any suitable material, preferably insulating material, which is capable of longitudinal movement within a bearing member 30, and is under pressure tending to expel it therefrom, by the action of spring 3|. The upper 'end of the pin enters slot I9 of the rotor, when no other body lies within the slot in the ofi position, and may conveniently enter the slot as far as the hub portion of the rotor or completely close the slot.

When no tube is in the socket, the pin 29 will prevent accidental rotarymovement of the support or rotor 20, acting as a lock or latch therefor. However, when both pins of the tube have been inserted into slot I9, the first entering pin'will cause lock pin 29 to'be pushed in a retrograde direction so that the latter will lie completely without the rotor, or at least will be so close to the edgethereof that the lock pin extremity 32 will easily be pushed out of the rotor slot when the rotor is turned. After the lock pin is once out of the Way, the-rotor may be easily turned until the tube pins are seated in the body contacts as above described. Y The upper end of the body is preferably concave with its Walls 32; inclined toward the en.-

trance slit l1 and the corners 33 are located far enough from the entrance slit so that if one pin' is'in the slot IS the other can not be twisted over the corner 33. This makes it impossible to break off the end of the body as is frequently done when the end of the body is convex and so narrow as to permit one pin to pass around the end when the other is inthe slot.

An alternative type of rotor, shown in Fig. 8, is provided with notches 28 having rounded edges, and located approximately 90 degrees from the points where the ends of slot l9 emerge upon the periphery of the rotor. When the rotor has been turned into the position where the tube pins engage the socket contacts, one of these depressions 28 will be located directly above lock pin 29, the end 32 of which willthen be impelled by spring 3| so that it will enter notch 28, and may be arranged'to give an audible click when so doing. This will furnish an additional locking effect for the rotor in its other position, but will readily eject the end of the lock pin, due to the contour of the surfaces of both members which are in engagement, so that when the tube is to be re: moved from the socket, the rotor may easily be turned back again to the position where the pins may be removed through slit l8.

In the variant form of socket shown in Figs. 9 i and 10, the pin 35 is formed to slide within the space between the contact springs l2, I! under the impulsion of tension spring 3|. The pin is in this case made somewhat wider, and instead of x entering the slit of the rotor to any great-extent,

theupper rounded end 36 of the pin seats itself for a short distance only in the rotor slot, as indicated in Fi'gi 9. I 7 v The first form, however, is preferred, as the spring pressed latch or locking pin acts to immediately eject the tube pins as soon as the tube is turned to the off or removing position. This type also aids in preventing pins being straddled from the slot to the side of the socket. It also serves as an indication to the operator that pres- -sure must be applied to insert the pins-hence he is more likely to continue such inward pressure until he meets a stop, from which position I the tube may be safely rotated to the "on" position.

It should be understood, however, that the latch may engage in the slot I9 when the tube is out of the socket and that the rotor may also have notch 28 engaged by the latch when the tube and rotor have been turned to the on position.

While I have described my spring pressed member as serving to look a rotating member, as Well as tending to eject the tube pins, yet it will be apparent that this latch may alternatively perform only one of these functions. For example means other than the rotating carrier element, and yet the spring pressed plunger will tend to eject the tube pin when the latter is in such position that it can be pushed upwardly and outwardly from the socket body.

I claim:

1. A tube socket comprising a body member containing two spaced contacts, at least one of which is resilient, a rotatable support mounted in the body member between said contacts and at least partly embraced thereby and having a slot leading to said contacts and a spring pressed latch interlocking radially with the support to hold it in one position, said latch being retractable by pressure from apin of a tubewhen it is being inserted into said slot, said pin acting laterally upon said latch.

2. A tube socket comprising a body member containing two spaced contacts with a rotatable the tube pins may be guided into position by support mounted between them so as to be at.

least partly embraced thereby, said support having a slot for the pins of a tube and a spring pressed latch interlocking radially with the support to prevent its rotation, said latch projecting into said slot when no pin is in place and being adapted to be compressed to release the support by the direct lateral contact therewith of a tube pin inserted in the slot between said contacts.

3. A tube socket comprising a body member containing twov spaced contacts, a rotatable support mounted in said member so as to be at least partly embraced by said contacts, said support having a slot and the body member having an entrance slot. leading to the slot in said support, the end of the body member being concave and having inclined walls leading to the entrance slot in the-bottom of the concave end and a spring pressed latch interlocking radially with the supportto prevent its rotation. '1

4. A tube socket comprising a body member containing two spaced contacts with a rotatable support mounted between and at least partly embraced by them, said support having a slot and a spring pressed latch interlocking radially with the support to prevent its rotation, said latch projecting into said slot in one position and being adapted to be compressed to release the support when a tube prong is inserted in the slot between said contacts. and said support having a notch arranged 90 degrees away from said slot and adapted to receive said l atch when the support is in another position v I 5. A tube socket comprising a body member cbntaining two spaced contacts with a rotatable {support mounted between and at least partly narrow compared with the width of said slot,-

and a spring pressed latch projecting radially into said slot and being adapted to be compressed contacts, a spring pressed member arranged in line with said slot in said: chamber and adapted to be laterally engagedby a prong of a tube when it is inserted sidewise into said chamber, said member serving to'at least partly eject the tubeprong in a lateral direction when pressure is 5.

released.

MILTON ALDEN. 

